Step 3: Discover Your Leadership Style

I’ve always found it fascinating to learn about my own leadership style and how amazingly accurate some of those analysed reports are!

A key part of growing as a person and also in growing your business is to learn all you can about ‘you’ and your leadership style. And I’ve yet to find anyone who doesn’t enjoy learning more about themselves.

But what’s the point of discovering more about your leadership style?

Well, in many instances you’re conditioned to do the work you do because it’s what you know (and sometimes fell into out of personal circumstances) rather than what you’re good at. So learning more about your personality, your innate qualities, gifts and talents is often like discovering ‘you’ for the first time.

And secondly, we’re a society that tends to concentrate on fixing weaknesses rather than promoting strengths. The problem with this is you rarely get to use your natural gifts and talents for the majority of the time. You put so much effort into fixing your weaknesses and trying to mould yourself into someone you feel you ought to be in order to please others, rather than who you should naturally be.

Identifying your leadership style allows you to know your personal strengths and weaknesses and then you can work on developing the natural path for you in business.

Understanding your leadership style also allows you to gain more insight into those people you work well with, and those you don’t get along with. Often for the first time you will understand ‘why’ others may differ to yourself in making decisions, approaching problems, or being reactive or proactive in various situations.

How well do you know yourself? Complete the following questions:

I work best with people who are …

I like to make decisions based on …

I’m better to delegate the following to others …

My strengths are …

My weaknesses are …

I work better in an environment which is …

I don’t suit working in an environment which is …

The type of person that frustrates me the most is …

My natural tendency to problem solve is to …

If you’ve never discovered your natural leadership style and nurtured your innate qualities then perhaps it’s time to do so. But how do you know when it’s time to discover your natural leadership style? Look for the symptoms that say it’s time to learn more.

SYMPTOMS include …

Frustration of current circumstances

Inability to make the progress you’d like

Conflicting views with others you come into contact with

Confusion as to what work suits you best

Feeling like a square peg in a round hole

Boredom, or simply drifting along with what you currently do

Feeling like a fish out of water

BREAK-THROUGH EXERCISE

Imagine you are re-writing your life story again. What would you choose to do, be and have in your life? Write it all down.

How can you promote your natural strengths through your work or interests?

Identify your weaknesses and decide whether there is any benefit to improving these. Often it’s easier to find someone with the skills and aptitudes you don’t have who will compliment your strengths.

Many small business owners waste precious time and effort trying to do everything themselves. This limits the life of your business and stops growth. Identify what YOU should be concentrating on while delegating or outsourcing everything else to others.

KEY LEARNING

Leadership is being true to oneself, discovering innate qualities and gifts, and continuing to learn and develop your unique intelligences.

To go back and read the 1st Crucial Step to Achieving Giant Results – click here